Coalition poised to torpedo coalition MK’s push to raise minimum wage

In another Knesset battle where politics take precedence over substance, the coalition is expected to vote against a preliminary reading to raise the minimum wage to NIS 40 ($12) an hour — a cause pushed by coalition party Labor.

Labor MK Naama Lazimi has long championed raising the minimum wage, and she is the sponsor of one of three linked bills coming for a vote in the plenum today. The other two are sponsored by opposition MKs. Labor sources say the coalition has decided to vote against today’s preliminary reading for minimum wage increases, and that Lazimi may pull her bill from the bundle.

As interlinked bills, the three would be voted upon together.

The driving force behind all three bills is the organization Standing Together. A spokesman for the organization says that, after a fight with Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman held up progress for Lazimi’s effort, it turned to the opposition.

The current minimum wage is NIS 29.12 ($8.7) an hour.